The transfer gear, which distributes the torque of the input shaft over the several ancillary shafts or conversely concentrates the torques of the latter shafts on the output shaft, is subject to radial stresses due to unavoidable manufacturing tolerances. To relieve these stresses, it has already been proposed (see German printed specification No. 1,031,075) to mount the transfer gear floatingly on its shaft and to maintain its radial position solely by the interplay of its teeth with those of the coacting gears; torque is transmitted between the shaft and the gear by a toothed coupling sleeve. German published specification No. 1,775,944 describes a similar arrangement.
In these prior systems the coupling members linking the floating transfer gear with its shaft must be free to position themselves skew to the shaft axis to facilitate the necessary radial displacement of the gear. If space limitations restrict the permissible play between the torque-transmitting teeth of the coupling, the relative axial displacement between these teeth generates considerable friction under load so as to impede the stress equalization and to result in rapid wear.